One Elf Less, One Human More
by Napket
Summary: Laryll Tabris finds herself in a dark dungeon, naked and tortured, waiting to be used in a dark magic ritual. Will she face her fate alone, and even if the help comes, is it too late? A dark one-shot with a story not based on the game. Rated M for violence, no smut.


**Ahem, okay. I have never written a fanfic based on a video game before and this is my second story in English (the another being of Dungeons & Dragons), which isn't my native tongue. So please be gentle, there are bound to be some grammar errors. Plus my English vocabulary isn't as good as my own tongue's.**

**The events are not based on the games, this is my own one-shot story. Other than that, Bioware owns everything else.**

It was dark and humid. She could hear water dripping somewhere, but dared not to open her eyes yet. She lingered between unconciousness and awareness, but as soon as she decided to aim for the latter, the amount of regret was enormous. There was pain which couldn't be begun to be described. Her eyes flew open because of it and she chewed on her lower lip so hard she could taste blood in her mouth. It didn't help that she couldn't feel her legs at all, it just increased her anxiety. She was lying on the ground and her wounds were burning.

Quickly the elf began to run recent events in her head. What had happened? How did she end up here? And where was here?

With shaky turn of head, she glimpsed her surroundings. It was an old, dirty sell which encircled her naked and injured body. She tried to gasp when noticing remains of a skeleton next to her, but the air got stuck in her dry throat and she let out a weak cough. Blood spilled on the hard stone floor.

Her struggle was immediatelly discovered by a nearby guard, who stomped towards her cell. "Stay still, you fucking knife-eared bitch!" the guard snarled and banged the iron bars with the scabbard of his longsword. "Or do you want us to hurt you more?"

The elf shuddered and turned her gaze away from the human. She wasn't shackled, but understood why: there was absolutely no strength left in her slim body, which was covered in blue bruises and bloody cuts. It felt like all of her bones were broken or at least fractured. The smell of her own blood was disgusting. The legs were the worst. One of her ankles was twisted in an abnormal way and it looked like the legs had been trampled by a bronto.

Never before had she felt so alone and incapable.

Suddenly she heard noises. The guard who had harassed her straightened his back and knocked the heels of his boots together, staring forward. The elf groaned as she pressed her arms against the stone and crawled a few inches in order to see who was coming. There were two figures, one was heavily armored and the other...

"Is she awake?" a tall man in flashy robes asked the guard.

"Yes, my lord", the guard answered firmly. "Made sure the bitch wouldn't try to escape, but other than that, she's all yours."

The elf flinched. The man in robes got closer to her cell and glared at her. He had a dark, shaggy beard and his eyes were piercing blue. On his back hung an ornate staff. _Wizard_, the elf thought. And definitely not the good kind.

"What is your name?" the wizard demanded in a low voice.

"L...Laryll", she muttered. "Laryll Tabris."

"Well then, Laryll", the man smirked, "it looks like you and I are going to have a special event ahead of us. You are very precious to me, so if it isn't too much asked, I'd like you not to attempt anything...stupid."

Tears were gathering on the corners of Laryll's eyes. She didn't like that this monster had used her own name in a such friendly way. She didn't like that he had claimed her to be precious. Not this monster, this shem. There was only one man who should have a right to say those things. Only one.

_Zevran_.

Laryll's eyes widened. Zevran. She remembered more. _My mission_, she mumbled to herself. She had been asked to track down a dangerous blood mage. Zev, her companion and her heart, hadn't been with her. He was doing business with an another Crow in Denerim. She had been too zealous to get her quest done, so she...went to investigate alone. _Shit you are such a blockhead!_ she cursed. Laryll licked her lips, trying to recall the name of her target. She frowned when the name tasted so bitter.

Laryll lifted her head and leered at the mage. "Brathen."

"Oh, you know me? Well isn't that exciting", the man rubbed his beard. He then gave a signal to the guard.

The celldoor was opened and the guard roughly lifted Laryll up, not caring about her mangled legs. She wouldn't give them the pleasure and swallowed her scream. Brathen gave an evil smile and gestured his own guard to help the other. Two humans supported Laryll and dragged her, following their leader.

After they had exited the dungeons, the group headed to a huge hall. Marble pillars rose high to the roof, and the colorful painted windows suggested the building was some kind of a temple. Laryll was lugged past many rows of benches, which were covered in dust. This temple was obviously abandoned, now used by Brathen in his own evil activities. It was dim and because there was no light shining from the windows or holes on the roof, it had to be late evening or night. A hint of panic overwhelmed her when she had no idea how long it had been since her capture. If it had been only a couple of hours ago, would Zev even have had time to get worried of her absence?

The guards grabbing Laryll's arms took her to an altar located at the end of the main hall, on top of stairs with red carpet. The blood mage was browsing a book in his hands, following the text in it with his finger. Laryll had just lolled her head, not wishing to see where she had been taken to. But the other human pulled her head up, grabbing a fistful of Laryll's long red hair, ordering her to shape up.

Then the color escaped from Laryll's face. Beside the altar was a coffin with a corpse of human female in it. The woman had not been dead for long, and she was wearing a white wedding dress. Still staring at the woman, Laryll was dragged towards the altar. Maybe the marble table had once been pure white, but now it was stained from dried blood. With a pitiful effort the elf tried to free herself, but the two strong males punched her pale ribs, the other of them quickly moving his foot out of the way when Laryll coughed blood.

"Place her on the altar, and we shall begin", Brathen said and closed the book in his hands, putting it on a table next to him. He removed the staff from his back and with a thump the staff was set between the altar and the coffin. The mage let go and the wooden item stayed still. After that he took an enchanted dagger from his pouch, and nodded at the guards.

Laryll began breathing hastily, not giving a damn about the pain it caused. Before she could even think of biting her toungue she was gagged and lifted of the altar. She swung her left arm, the right being shackled. One of the guards easily grabbed the elf's hand and forced it down so that he could attach the other shackle. Her legs were left free, but that didn't matter for she still couldn't feel them. Laryll wasn't able to hold her tears anymore and didn't care about the stinging pain in the wounds when the warm liquid ran on her face.

Brathen began to recite foreign words, gathering his mana and waving his arms. He walked in circles around the altar and the coffin, holding the dagger in his hand and gently stroking his wrist with it.

The guard with more armor remained at Laryll's side, unsheating his own dagger and pressing it lightly against the elf's wrist. "Soon, it'll be over, bitch. One knife-ear less and one human more in this world", he whispered in Laryll's ear.

"My love, even death won't come between us", Brathen declared, "because I have mastered the gift of the Maker. He would want me to use this power to bring you back to me. He knows this must be done, and He knows you are more worthy than the sacrifice." The mage gave a quick look at Laryll, who shivered. "Please, my love and eternity, come back to me. Fill this humble heart with joy once more!"

Then with a swift move Brathen slit his wrist and the blood flowed out. The crimson began to swirl around the mage, who levitated for a moment and enjoyed the massive power. He raised his injured hand and spread the fingers, looking like he was reaching out to grasp something. Brathen was surrounded by magic, and after a while he pointed at Laryll with bloody fist.

Laryll could not shout, could not squirm, could not stop the tears. She felt the dagger on her wrist, ready to slice the life out of her. She concentrated hard on the only image she wished would flash in front of her when dying.

_ Zevran_.

There was a crash of shattering glass, and from the broken window a figure jumped in. The guard standing in front of the stairs leading to the altar turned around, only to find a fine sharped dagger in his eye. He didn't let out a sound when he fell, his blood reddening the carpet on the stairs more. The figure responsible for the dagger drew two another ones from his back and ran towards Brathen.

The mage snorted and didn't take his eyes off the intruder. "It seems you don't have to die alone after all, my precious elf", he chuckled refering to Laryll. "Hurry up and do your part, guard."

Laryll had turned her head and with wet eyes she watched the man who ran as fast as he could.

"Zev..." she murmured, but the moment of happiness she felt inside her was over in a flash when she shrieked from pain, still gagged.

"Laryll!" Zevran shouted in a terrified voice as he watched the other guard cut Laryll's wrist. Rage was building inside him when fresh blood streamed on the altar. He forgot about Brathen, he had decided that the guard deserved more to die.

Laryll tried her best to call for her partner, but the blood oozing from her mouth stopped her words. The guard next to her drew his greatsword and marched down the stairs to meet the assassin. Laryll's streaming blood joined the crimson circling Brathen, and the mage began to cast his spell.

Zevran knew he didn't have much time. Laryll was continually weakening from the blood loss, her tear-filled eyes pleading for help. With nimble moves the assassin engaged the guard, who put all his might in a single blow. Zevran easily dodged this time, getting behind the guard. He landed a stunning blow and used the guard's confusion at his advantage. His daggers found a vulnerable spot in the human's armor and cut deep. The guard growled and put his hand to his side, blood bubbling through the fingers. But Zevran didn't wait. He dashed forward, aiming for the human's neck.

"Zheh, hehow hyou!" a fragile voice squealed in ambiguously words because of the wooden stick in her mouth.

The guard lifted the greatsword he had brought down earlier, intending to cut Zevran from below. The assassin sweared and rolled to his left. The greatsword only scratched him, but he had no time to thank the Maker or the fate. Zev took a glimpse on Laryll. She was pale, her lifeforce slowly being sucked out. The mage kept his arms open, levitating a bit higher. Zevran had miscalculated how long the opponent would remain still, and the pommel of sword hit his jaw.

Thanking the hit for having his focus back, Zevran spat a lump of blood and charged his target. He picked a frost bomb from his pocket and threw it at the feet of the guard. The armor prevented the human from evading the hit, and his feet got frozen. The moment of puzzlement cost him his life, as Zevran's whistling dagger slashed the guards throat, blood gushing out and splattering on the Antivan's face.

The guard slumped on the ground, his eyes wide open. Zevran didn't waste a second with this piece of trash anymore. He ran the stairs and faced the mage, who had his eyes on Zevran.

"You are too late", Brathen smirked and continued chanting the words of his spell.

Zevran quickly turned around and looked at Laryll, who had falled unconcious. The tear marks were still visible, and the blood was flowing even slower.

"No, you filthy bastard", Zevran glowered at Brathen. "It is you whose time is up." Knowing the mage couldn't move in order not to break his concentration, Zevran tossed his Crow dagger, which dug into Brathen's neck. With a gurgle the wizard fumbled to get the dagger out, but his spell had already failed, and he collapsed on the floor, his and Laryll's blood spreading all over. Brathen reached his hand out to the coffin, mumbling an apology for his dead wife, before he took his final breath.

Zevran wasn't interested in Brathen's last words. He had hurried to snatch the keys from the heavily armored guard and went to open Laryll's shackles. The elf's naked body was so tortured Zevran had to make every effort not to lose his temper, that would not have helped her. He carefully gathered Laryll in his arms and lifted her light body from the altar. He sank on his knees, holding Laryll close to him and taking the gag out of her mouth. Zevran took bandages from an injury kit he had with him and wrapped them around Laryll's wrist. He felt the eyes on his blank face moistening, but he could show even that kind of weakness if it helped her.

"_Amora_, please wake up", Zevran begged and brushed his fingers across Laryll's cheek. He kissed her forehead and pressed his own against it. "Don't go without me."

Laryll felt something wet dripping on her cheek. She first tried to remember how to breathe, and after that slowly opened her eyes. Her vision was blurry, but there was a familiar scent. Antivan leather.

"Zev", Laryll wheezed, now being able to see her partner's face more clearly.

Startled, the assassin raised his head and met Laryll's gaze. "I am here, _amora_", he covered Laryll's cheek with his palm and ignored his tears. "I'm right here."

"Tears..." Laryll couldn't resist saying.

"Would you prefer me yelling at you?"

Laryll snorted and clenched her teeth. "Please it...hurts to laugh. Hurts to do anything."

"I need to get you out of here. You've lost a lot of blood. Drink this." Zevran uncapped a health potion and lifted it to Laryll's lips.

She took careful sips, swallowing still being hard. "I can't feel my legs and I'm so...tired. I just want to rest."

"I'm sorry, but you can't yet, _amora_. I'm not letting you drift away from me, and gods help me I will save you even if I had to kill thousand blood mages or poke you with my dagger to keep you from not entering the world beyond."

Laryll smiled. Even with all the bruises and wounds she was so beautiful. You couldn't see the blood which had tainted her messy red hair. Zevran had always taken care of her hair. Him brushing it was one of the few effective ways to calm her if she was upset.

Zevran straightened his back. "Please bear with me, soon the pain will be gone. Try to remain still and relax", he whispered and rose up carrying Laryll. His partner groaned. The assassin apologized and hurried to the exit, humming one of Laryll's favourite melodies.

Zevran wasn't sure who he should thank for Brathen's base being in Denerim, not too far from the market district. Laryll was no burden at all, but he had to take her to a healer as soon as possible. Laryll's breathing had become weaker, and Zevran's cloak didn't help her trembling. The assassin cursed, but quickly rejected his grim thoughts when he heard Laryll coughing and moaning.

"Zev", she began, her voice being frightnening low and hoarse. "I can't... I can't..."

"Yes you can, _amora_", Zevran replied and held Laryll closer to his chest. "Listen to my heart. It only beats for you, for you to survive. If you give up, this heart will stop. Understood?"

After receiving a nod as an answer Zevran almost run the rest of the distance. He couldn't stop to comfort Laryll, or lie that her life wasn't in danger. He focused on getting her help. The health potion she had drunk only prolonged her suffering, keeping her attached to that thin string of life.

Finally Zevran reached the market district. He continually leered at Laryll to make sure she still breathed. She needed a healer. A mage. A good mage. The only place he had in mind was the shop of magical goods, the Wonders of Thedas. He headed there, assuring Laryll everything was going to be okay.

The door of the magic shop was banged open. "Is there anyone who knows healing magic?" Zevran spoke loudly from the door and entered the building. "Please! She is dying!" It was the first time he had said those words aloud since rescuing her, and he felt his hands sweating and shaking.

The tranquil shopkeeper looked at Zevran. "I'm terribly sorry, but as you can see, I'm the only one here at this moment, and I'm afraid I can't help your friend", he said in an irritating calm voice.

"She's not only my friend!" the assassin shouted angrily. "She's-!"

"Zev, please enough", Laryll murmured with her eyes closed. She tried to open them a little and saw Zevran's worried look.

"It'll be fine,_ amora_. You will survive, I promise."

"Zev, I can't... It's too late. Too tired... I'm so sorry, my love... I lov-"

"NO!" cried Zevran and pressed his lips against hers, falling on his knees. He didn't wish for the kiss to be so fierce, but he was too afraid. His tears had become a little too common for him, and now they watered Laryll's face. He hadn't know he could be this terrified. He released Laryll's mouth and stroke her hair. "I told you, you will be okay."

Laryll's mouth moved, but no sound came out. The light from her eyes dimmed and the heavy, wet lids closed. Zevran tried to call for her name, but there was no response.

"No..." the assassin shivered, tasting his and Laryll's tears in his mouth. "No no no. This is not happening. _Amora_ please, open your eyes. Look at me. Say something, anything!" Zevran brushed a kiss on Laryll's forehead and hugged her tightly. "I promised you. I promised you! Do not leave me with an unkept promise like that. You can't... you can't...". Zevran's voice broke and he just remained there, cradling Laryll in his arms and whispering 'I love you' over and over again in her ear.

A familiar figure with white hair and red robes entered the shop, noticing the elf on his knees in front of her. "Oh my, what is going on here... Zevran? Is that you?" the woman Zevran immediatelly recognized as Wynne said. She gasped once she had seen the another elf in the assassin's arms. "Laryll? How horrible, how did... bring her here right now, it may not be too late!"

Dumbfounded Zevran did as told, following Wynne upstairs. The mage pushed all the scrolls and the books on a large wooden table to the floor, and gestured Zevran. The Antivan gently placed Laryll on the table. He wanted to remaing near Laryll, but Wynne shook her head.

"Please stand aside", Wynne asked. "I need some space."

Soon Wynne was engulfed by blue magic aura, which danced around her. She begged for all the power of the spirit inside her, chanting her revival spell. Zevran stared nervously, and the light from the magic was reflected in his wet eyes. He thought of all the things he would give or do in order to have Laryll back.

The blue aura gathered in Wynne's hand. She set her magic-filled palm over Laryll and with a few words the energy began swirling around her body, which was covered with Zevran's cloak.

Laryll's eyes flew open and her body twitched. She gasped for air, forgetting her throat hurt like hell every time she did that. Zevran rushed to her side and stroke her head, squeezing Laryll's hand in his.

"Zeh...Zev?" murmured Laryll and blinked.

"_Si, amora_. I'm here, always", Zevran weeped and passionately kissed Laryll.

Wynne was exhausted, but she tapped Zevran's shoulder. "Young man, if you would please let me finish my work. The danger is not over yet."

The Antivan looked at the mage with a requesting look, not being able to say anything. Even weak Laryll squeezed harder on Zevran's hand.

Wynne snorted. "Well alright, you two. I will heal the effects from the bloodloss and then I require some help with the broken ankle. Do not worry, dear. I will cast a sleeping spell on you, so you won't feel a thing."

As Wynne began to cast the spell, Laryll sighed at her partner. "Please don't leave me."

"That's my line, _amora_", Zevran smiled and kissed Laryll's knuckles. He placed her hand on his cheek, still holding it. "Never again scare me like that." He had said that in a little too serious tone he had meant.

But Laryll just smiled back and wiped some of Zevran's tears away with her thumb. "See you soon?" she asked when Wynne's spell began to take effect and her eyes were closing.

"Of course, _mi amora_. Anything for you", Zevran promised in a warm voice, a fresh tear running on his face and landing on Laryll's red hair.


End file.
